Most modern amusement parks have water rides and/or exhibits on or at which a patron is likely to come into contact with water, typically chemically treated (with chlorine, bromine, etc.). Such parks are also often frequented on hot and/or muggy days on which many patrons perspire. These factors individually, or in combination, often lead to paper money in the patrons"" possession getting soggy, and coins becoming slippery, causing difficulties when the patron purchases goods or services at the amusement park (e.g. food, souvenirs, arcade tokens, show tickets, special ride tickets, etc.). Amusement park owners are reluctant to accept credit cards for many of these purchases both because of the time delays associated with verifying the cards (especially during peak times), and also because fees charged by credit card companies make the return on small purchases unacceptably low. Previous attempts to solve this problemxe2x80x94such as issuing plastic bands that could be ripped into one dollar increments redeemable at concession standsxe2x80x94have been less than successful since they still require users to hassle with coins, do not lend themselves to keeping accurate statistical (e.g. demographic) information, can be easily misplaced, and are fully redeemable by another if lost or stolen. Also, many patrons are reluctant to carry credit cards in parks due to the possibility that they could be lost or stolen, causing substantial difficulties in cancelling them, and/or substantial risk of significant volumes of unauthorized purchases using them.
According to the present invention, the problem described above has been solved in a commercially acceptable manner by using wristbands having bar coding thereon which act like debit cards. Wristbands with bar coding thereon are well known per se, particularly in the medical field. For instance, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,835,372 (the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,416, essentially conventional hospital plastic wristbands can be used with bar coded indicia, which is read at all places within a hospital where (or at all times when) a patient is in need of treatment, other services, or medicines. However such hospital type wristbands are far from ideal for amusement parks for many reasons, among them the facts that they are not optimally suited for simple, fast, and relatively inexpensive mass production in the type of volumes desired for most amusement parks, and the typical plastic material of which the hospital wristbands are made is highly tear resistant, which could cause a safety problem for a patron in an amusement park under some circumstances, and are not aesthetic.
According to the present invention, a wristband is providedxe2x80x94as well as a method of manufacture thereofxe2x80x94that is virtually ideally suited for use in amusement parks for xe2x80x9cdebit cardxe2x80x9d functions. The invention also relates to a unique method of solving the problem of soggy paper money and slippery coins in amusement park environments in a manner which allows demographic or other statistical information to be readily obtained, facilitates theft or unauthorized use prevention, and is very inexpensive.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a wristband for use for a relatively short period of time (e.g. 24 hours or less) in an amusement park environment where it is likely to be exposed to chemically treated water and perspiration, is provided. The wristband comprises: A strip of a first material having first and second faces and which is waterproof and capable of having indicia imaged on the first face, and which is tear resistant but will tear completely if subjected to a force which would jeopardize the safety of the wearer in an amusement park environment if it did not tear, and having first and second ends, the first and second ends being spaced from each other along the length of the strip, and the strip having its length dimension greater than its width dimension, and the length dimension being sufficient to wrap once around the wrist of a human without substantial excess. Bar code indicia (preferably thirty-six base) imaged on the strip first face. A protective coating over the bar code indicia protecting the indicia from chemically treated water. And, attachment means associated with the first and second ends of the strip for securely attaching the first and second ends together so that if they are detached they are not reattachable, and the detachment is clearly visible to the naked human eye.
The first material may comprise approximately 8 point waterproof paper. The bar code may be provided in two distinct areas of the first face, with graphics or indicia visible between the areas. The wristband protective coating may comprise a clear varnish in contact with the first face and the bar code indicia, as well as a waterproof transparent matte laminate (e.g. polyester) covering the clear varnish. Further graphics or indicia may be imaged on the clear varnish, and underlying the waterproof transparent matte laminate. The graphics render the wristband aesthetic, unlike conventional hospital wristbands.
The attachment means preferably comprises an aggressive permanent pressure sensitive adhesive on the second face of the strip at the first end thereof, initially covered by a release sheet, and lines of weakness formed in the strip at the first end thereof where covered by the adhesive, and/or at the second end thereof where engaged by the adhesive. The adhesive and initial release sheet may be provided by transfer paper. The lines of weakness may comprise slits formed in the strip at the first end thereof where covered by the adhesive.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing wristbands from a continuous web of waterproof paper having first and second faces, is provided. The method comprises the steps of substantially continuously: (a) Imaging bar code indicia on the first face of the continuous web as it moves substantially continuously in a first direction. (b) Applying a protective coating over the bar code indicia and substantially the entire first face of the continuous web. (c) Applying attachment elements to at least the second face of the continuous web at periodic spaced locations along it; and (d) forming lines of weakness in the continuous web at periodic spaced locations to define the continuous web into individual wristbands each having an attachment element associated therewith.
Step (b) is preferably practiced by first applying a transparent varnish over the first face and bar code indicia, and then applying a waterproof transparent matte laminate over the varnish. The method also preferably includes the further step of imaging graphics and/or indicia on the varnish before applying the waterproof transparent matte laminate.
Step (a) is practiced by printing thirty-six base bar code, and step (c) is practiced by applying a piece of transfer tape at each periodic spaced location, comprising an aggressive permanent pressure sensitive adhesive, to the second face. Step (d) is typically practiced by forming a line of weakness is immediately adjacent each piece of transfer tape, and step (c) is further practiced by forming slits in the web at the portion thereof to which the transfer tape has been applied.
Step (d) is desirably practiced by forming perforation lines in the continuous web perpendicular to the direction of movement thereof, in which case the method also includes the further steps of fan-folding the web at the perforation lines, and ultimately separating the web into individual wristbands at the perforation lines.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of facilitating payment for goods or services at an amusement park having amusement rides, exhibits and concessions on or at which human patrons are likely to have the exteriors of their bodies come into contact with chemically treated water. The method comprises the steps of: (a) Providing a waterproof wristband having bar coding thereon. (b) Relating the bar coding to a particular amount of goods or services that the wearer of the wristband is entitled to purchase. (c) Attaching the wristband on a patron""s wrist so that the bar coding is readily accessible; and (d) scanning the bar coding on the wristband at various locations within the amusement park where the patron consumes or purchases goods or services, information about the goods or services consumed or purchased being electronically transmitted to a computer.
Step (b) of this method is typically practiced in response to the patron exchanging money for the bar coded wristband; and there is then also preferably the further step (e) of, after a period of time of less than 24 hours from step (c), scanning the bar coding on the wristband to determine if goods or services less than the amount of exchanged money have been purchased by the patron, and then refunding any overpayment. Step (e) is preferably practiced in part by removing the wristband from the patron""s wrist in a manner so that it cannot be effectively unnoticeably reattached.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an effective method for facilitating purchases of goods or services in amusement parks without cash or credit cards, and to provide a highly suitable wristband (and simple and inexpensive manner of construction thereof) facilitating such purchase-facilitation. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.